Finally, some good noise news

NY hospitals testing ‘ambient’ ambulance sirens. Why? Because of the noise complaints, of course. The ear-crushing squeals of New York City ambulance sirens ricochet off of hard building surfaces, making otherwise pleasant residential streets into hellish echo chambers.

So what do these new sirens sound like? If you’ve ever traveled to Europe, you probably heard the loud but surprisingly tolerable two-toned sirens favored there. If not–or you need a reminder–this is what you can expect to hear [NOTE: If you are sound sensitive, lower the volume before listening]:

And here’s the hellish traditional siren the newer two-tone ambulances may make obsolete (if we’re lucky):